Hi Shelley and Jennifer, When my 10 yr old cat was first diagnosed in July, I found this forum to be helpful in learning about LTCI: http://910pets.com/forum/topics/feline-leukemia?xg_source=activity&id=2127871. It's not very active now, but it's a good resource and folks will still respond to you if you post there.
My cat was running a fever, had gone from 13 lbs to 11.5, wasn't eating and was lethargic when he was first diagnosed. I don't remember his RBC count at the moment. We ordered LTCI for him and gave him 3 injections in the first week, then went to once a week for 2 weeks, then once every 2 weeks for a few weeks, and now he gets it once a month. He has returned to his normal self. He was also on a low dose of prednisone for a month. I don't know which medicine helped pull him out of the woods but I'm glad to keep trying the LTCI if it keeps him healthy. It costs me about $50 per injection though so it's not something I'm financially able to try on my 4 positive kittens. Katherine On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Shelley Theye <ve...@bellsouth.net> wrote: > Lance, > Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons. I > did not realize that there were 2 types. I had asked Leo's new vet about > using it as a preventative, and since she could easily get interferon, now > I know that it was the human one. Anyway, he is not symptomatic right > now, so the only thing I give him occasionally is Lysine. > Shelley > > Shelley Theye > ve...@bellsouth.net > > > > On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote: > > > I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done > with symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega and > Ember was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little about > what is suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for treatment). > Their website should mention this. > > > > To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) > interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown promise, > but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline recombinant > interferon omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown promise). > > > > It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a > prescription and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that does > drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a month > and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol. > > > > It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go > through an FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This > allows your vet clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, > which they need, as it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, > though I don’t think it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will do > this for you. You then have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In England > for the drug and the overnight shipping—overnight from England. When I last > priced this, it was ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I believe this is > for something like 15 doses, but that’s all you give in a year, according > to the established protocol. At least with feline recombinant interferon > omega, you know you have something that has been proven to work, unlike > other drugs I could mention. Will it produce results for a particular FeLV+ > cat? Maybe? > > > > If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might > still look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon > omega imported. Your vet might never have heard of it, and it might be > useful to ask them to look into it. If you decide to do it down the road, > you have that much less work to do to get it here. > > > > On Nov 11, 2013, at 6:48 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote: > > > >> I took Pookie to the one of four vets in Wisconsin who has done LTCI > injections, but Pookie was sick, running a temp, and not eating when he was > seen. So he wasn't a candidate for the injection. Do the FELV+ kitties need > to be symptom free before they administer this? Also is this the same with > the interferon shots? And does anyone know who administers interferon in > Wisconsin? My inclination is if it isn't broken don't fix it...If Pookie is > doing well, I don't want to mess with him. And he is doing great now since > he had acupuncture. Seems so hit or miss with all this?? > >> > >> > >> On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 4:08 PM, Jennifer Lewis wrote: > >> > >>> Has anyone tried any other the other meds out there, like Lymphocyte > T-Cell Immunomodulator (LTCI)? > >>> > >>> Jennifer L, Munchkin and Brynn > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> On Nov 11, 2013, at 12:54 PM, MaryChristine wrote: > >>> > >>>> http://goo.gl/uT6Evb > >>>> > >>>> not new to most of us, but always good to see things get the > "official" recognition. tho it does end as most research articles do, "more > research is needed." > >>>> > >>>> MC > >>>> -- > >>>> Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! > >>>> Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... > >>>> MaryChristine > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Felvtalk mailing list > >>>> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > >>>> > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> ------------------------------ > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Felvtalk mailing list > >>> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > >>> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Felvtalk mailing list > >> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Felvtalk mailing list > > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >
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